NODE: FRIENDSHIP FOUNTAIN PARK take SWA Group in collaboration WITH DIA - hand drawing by Jennifer Saura/SWA GROUP me to the river Whether you call them ‘nodes’ or ‘themed pocket gardens,’ the Downtown waterfront activation project is getting started with a plan riendship Fountain is an icon of the Downtown riverfront whose fortunes have been down as often as they’ve been up. It’s been a place to stop during a stroll on the South- (and money in the budget) to revive bank Riverwalk or a visit to the nearby Museum of Science and History — and the Friendship Fountain into a destination. backdrop of countless family photos. But never a destination. But that’s about to change, if City Councilwoman Lori Boyer has anything to do with it. She envisions Friendship Fountain as a multimedia entertainment venue that tells BY LILLA ROSS FOR J MAGAZINE the story of the St. Johns River.

SUMMER 2018 | J MAGAZINE 53 ST. JOHNS RIVER ACTIVITY NODES evening watching video project into the mist of the fountain or a light and music show AS MANY AS FIFTEEN 'THEMED POCKET GARDENS' WOULD CREATE ACCESS POINTS ALONG synchronized with the Times-Union Center THE ST. JOHNS RIVER DOWNTOWN WHILE SHARING JACKSONVILLE HISTORY AND INFORMATION. for the Performing Arts across the river. The plan calls for an outdoor amphi- MAIN theater, a large picnic area and green space TIMES-UNION STREET COWFORD shaded by trees and lush with native plants. CENTER GREAT FIRE The pump house would be turned into a MCCOYS vantage point to see the river with an exhibit

CREEK HOGANS FAIRFIELD MAIN ST. ST. MAIN BRIDGE CREEK of historical images and maps. “The building unfurls like a scroll unfurling the story of the ACOStA exploration of the St. Johns,” Boyer said. BRIDGE S SPORTS/ The playground is inspired by the Prin- T . J O ENTERTAINMENT cess Diana Memorial Playground in Kens- BROOKLYN FRIENDSHIP H ington Gardens that has a Peter Pan theme N S with a pirate ship, Indian tepees and a croco- FOUNTAIN R I V E R BRIDGEHART dile. The Jacksonville adaptation would have FULLER WARREN splash pad, a Timucuan hut, a French galle- THE DISTRICT Opened in 1965, the $1.7 million Friendship Fountain quickly became a popular Downtown attraction. BRIDGE on, a la Jean Ribault, and a giant alligator to play in and on. TREATY LONE You might see it as a strategic tease to million renovation of the fountain and park, “It’s an extraordinary playground, and OAK PARK STAR SOUTH SAILOR JACKSONVILLE show taxpayers what is possible with some upgrading the lighting and sound system we could do something like it that would be CUMMER HENDRICKS LOOKOUT ideas and investment. and adding landscaping and hardscape to worth coming to,” Boyer said. GARDENS POINT It’s not the first time the fountain has the park. And that’s the Friendship Fountain The centerpiece of the park, of course, is N been renovated. we know today. Friendship Fountain, a new improved foun- Architect Taylor Hardwick, famous for But you have to know it’s there. The city tain with the latest multimedia technology the Haydon Burns Library, also designed icon is easy to overlook, tucked away as it is for synchronized light and music shows or the fountain and park. When the $1.7 mil- behind MOSH. And parking is limited, es- videos projected into the mist. That’s done Friendship Fountain Park is the linchpin taste of what shapes the city’s identity, like The others are still only ideas at key lion fountain was dedicated in 1965, it was pecially at peak hours for the museum and in many places, most famously at the water- of Boyer’s plan to activate the Southbank and the river, the military and sports. points along the river: the world’s largest and tallest, 200 feet in adjacent River City Brewing Co. The upcom- front Fountain Roshen in Vinnytsia, Ukraine, Northbank Riverwalks with a series of about They also would help people access the n Cummer Museum and Gardens diameter, holding 500,000 gallons of water ing Riverplace Boulevard “road diet” might which on summer evenings has mesmeriz- a dozen thematic, interactive pocket parks. river, serving as a water taxi stop, a kayak n Brooklyn and pumping up to 6,500 gallons of water improve its visibility with improved access ing performances of “Swan Lake” and “Peter Whether all of it becomes reality de- launch or a marina. And, they would be n McCoys Creek (at the Florida Times- 100 feet into the air every minute. It became and signage, but people still need a reason to Pan” projected into the mist of the fountain. pends, as usual, on whether existing seed interactive, engaging the body, the mind, Union building) hugely popular with residents and tourists, seek the park out. money can become a real public invest- the imagination. A magnet to draw people n Main Street a picturesque icon of the consolidated Bold The Friendship Fountain Park of the fu- A cultural node ment in the city’s greatest asset. Downtown. n Hogans Creek New City of the South. ture would become a destination, a place to Across the river at the Times-Union Per- The initiative, begun three years ago by Great concepts … but will they happen? Fairfield (by the Matthews Bridge) The fountain was refurbished in 1985 the spend the afternoon with the kids, or an forming Arts Center, the pocket park would the Jacksonville chapter of the American Boyer, who is heading up the city’s wa- n Hendricks Point (by the Fuller Warren and continued to be a popular stop for Institute of Architects, “is to fundamentally terfront activation effort, has championed Bridge) tourists. But in the early 1990s, the original change the perception of the city. To make AIA’s ideas and made them her own, talking n Riverplace Tower/Treaty Oak Park 14-acre park was cut in half to accommo- it cohesive not fragmented,” said Chris Al- them up at every opportunity. She is fin- n Lone Star Sailor statue on the Southbank date the construction of the new Acosta len, director of design at the Haskell Co. ishing her second term on the City Council Riverwalk Bridge. The Diamond Head Lobster House At the time, the economy was rebound- and is term-limited. n The District was in the path of the ramps for the new ing, and several proposals were on the table Who will take up the cause? Her suc- Boyer has brainstormed for over a year bridge and had to be demolished. In com- to redevelop the riverfront. All of them were cessor on the council? A nonprofit, less with architects, landscape architects and pensation, the city cut the park in half and great ideas, Allen said, but the architects hamstrung by city policies and practices? artists, looking at how other cities have allowed a new restaurant, Harbormasters, thought the big picture was getting lost. Or, perhaps, Boyer in another role. The activated their waterfronts and different to be built on the site. It became River City They decided that the Northbank and councilwoman is reticent about the future ways Jacksonville could make its riverfront Brewing Company in 1993. Southbank Riverwalks could be a unifying but says she is firm in her commitment to unique. The fountain operated until 1999 when element. But they needed to create a sense activating the river and Downtown. But all that creative energy has hit the age and corrosion shut it down. In 2001, the of place with strong visual elements and ac- The Downtown Investment Authori- hard realities of practical implementation city spent $1.3 million in upgrades, adding tivities to engage people while incorporating ty has hired SWA Group in Los Angeles, a — experts uncomfortable with unconven- six light towers with synchronized colored the river and information about Jacksonville. landscape architecture and urban design tional projects and the glacial pace of city lighting. But a year later a power surge blew Their concept is for a string of what they and planning firm that specializes in wa- government. out the computer controller and lighting. call “nodes” at about a dozen places along terfront redevelopment, and HR&A, which The damage was repaired, and Friendship the riverfront. Boyer calls them “themed specializes in economic development, to The fountain Fountain was in its glory for Super Bowl pocket gardens.” Neither term really cap- work with the Haskell Company to develop past and future XXXIX in February 2005. But two months tures what they want to see happen. a Riverwalk master plan. Friendship Fountain Park is going to hap- later, two of its three pumps failed. Neither Each node would tell visitors some- A preliminary design plan was expected pen. There’s $1 million in the budget and parts nor money was available to replace thing about Jacksonville, a bit of history, this spring, but SWA submitted designs only another $1 million to come next year for ren- the 40-year-old equipment, so the fountain like the Great Fire or the Dixieland Park; for nodes at the Friendship Fountain and ovations to the fountain, upgrades to sound limped along on one pump.

a little culture, like its art and music; or a the Times-Union Performing Arts Center. and lighting and new video capabilities. JEFF DAVIS WILL DICKEY (BOYER) DON BURK (FOUNTAIN), In 2010, the city undertook a major $3.1 Lori Boyer has been working on a project to activate the St. Johns River in Downtown for three years.

54 J MAGAZINE | SUMMER 2018 SUMMER 2018 | J MAGAZINE 55 PREMIER MEDIA AND MARKETING IN GREATER JACKSONVILLE

Crowds gathered at Friendship Fountain in 2011 following a reopening ceremony after the city spent $3.1 million to restore the fountain and park.

celebrate the art and cultural heritage of Jack- Enhancements to the fountain and a in the middle of the city. To feel the river first sonville. Its design is still being worked out. new focus at the Performing Arts Center and the city second. The opportunity is in The initial concept is to have four gar- would give the Riverwalks a wow factor and plain view to create a vibrant public life. It’s dens, each designed around one of the four create momentum for activating the river. really exciting to be working on the public movements of the Florida Suite, composed But with Boyer leaving the Council, it will waterfront in my hometown. It’s a dream.” by Frederick Delius as a reflection of the only succeed if other City Council members Guy Parola, operations manager for the time he spent living in an orange grove near and city leaders double down on their com- Downtown Investment Authority, said he Jacksonville and being inspired by the St. mitment to making something happen on sees the nodes as “destination drivers” that Johns River. the riverfront. will come on board as developments along We can help you reach real customers. But it’s also an opportunity to showcase the riverfront take shape. music by Jacksonville’s African-American The prospects “These are big ideas, big concepts with You’ve heard of The Florida Times-Union, Jacksonville.com and our other composers like Charles Singleton, who Gerdo Aquino, CEO of SWA, is the land- multiple activation levels,” Parola said. wrote the lyrics to “Strangers in the Night,” scape architect working on the design. He “These are big and bold and wonderful.” products because our team at Times-Union Media built our brand. We can do the and James Weldon Johnson, who wrote lives in Los Angeles now, but he grew up on Aquino said he has been impressed with “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing.” the Westside. He remembers hanging out the city’s commitment to the project. same for you. We offer a full suite of digital marketing services and custom Boyer is especially excited about live at The Jacksonville Landing with his friends “I know Jacksonville, so I was the Num- streaming movies and concerts on the CSX from Ed White High School. ber One skeptic,” Aquino said. “But there solutions that reach real customers who want to do business with you. facade that could be watched from an out- He and his mother, who still lives on the is a strong sense of optimism about Jack- Visit timesunionmedia.com to learn more. door amphitheater. Food service could be Westside, sometimes walked a loop from sonville. We are looking for things that will provided from the kitchen at the Perform- the Landing, across the Main Street bridge make it a reality, being realistic but dream- ing Arts Center. to the Chart House for lunch, then back to ing big enough to see if all the parts can fall ONLINE ADVERTISING | SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING | CONTENT MARKETING | REPUTATION MANAGEMENT The new technical capabilities at each the Northbank via the Acosta. into place. So far things are moving along node could be synchronized into a light Those days along the St. Johns River left pretty well. If Jacksonville can pull off this SEARCH ENGINE MARKETING | SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION | WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT and music extravaganza that plays off the a deep imprint on Aquino. world-class waterfront, it’s going to be the Acosta and Main Street bridges that could “I’m very interested in place-making in city to visit not the city to pass through. It be viewed from the Northbank and South- the public realm where cities are creating will be a destination city.” bank or from a boat in the river. an identity around some kind of water ele- None of this has been finalized, Boyer ment. It could be a tiny creek or a big river Lilla Ross is a Jacksonville freelance writer who said, “but it gives you an idea of where we’re like the St. Johns,” Aquino said. “I want peo- worked as a reporter and editor at The Florida 1 Riverside Avenue 904.359.4318 heading.” ple to grasp the scale and intensity of nature Times-Union for 35 years. She lives in San Marco. J on F letc h er Jacksonville, FL 32202 [email protected]

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